Sympathy For Joffrey

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(WARNING, NEAR END OF BOOK SPOILER, DO NOT GO ON IF YOU HAVE NOT READ JOFFREY'S WEDDING)

It sounds like the most ludicrious thing in the world, but after finding myself reading the -near- end of A Storm Of Swords and into A Feast For Crows, I can't help but think that yes, Joffrey was an absolute idiot, but he was still a stupid little kid who had two non fathers and a crazy mother. And of course the image of 12 year old boy clawing at his own throat probably helps the whole sympathy thing.

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I agree with Princess Anna. I think that people can overcome crazy parents and/or bad situations, but Joff was beyond stupid and spoiled. He was sadistic and egocentric and born that way, unlike his two other siblings.

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I have always felt sympathy for him. He's twelve for pity's sake. I teach kids who have social problems and bad home lives. I see what it can do to them, lots of pent up anger, lashing out, a desire to cause pain. They lack decent role models in their home life and it's very hard to give them a set of boundaries and social skills in the few hours you see them in per week. Imo, a child is 'innocent' until the age of about 16/17. That's when they have to take all they've learnt and become an adult. Joffrey was never given the chance to do this because he was made king at twelve, long long long before he was ready.

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i was beaming with joy as i read of his demise. good riddance to that mad child, i'm only sorry that he didn't suffer more. his death reaffirmed my fate that there is justice in the world after that fate being crushed after reading of the red wedding.

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Sympathy for Joffrey? While reading I was so sorry for Tyrion's humiliation that I hardly felt any sympathy for Joff. Even less so as Tyrion was arrested.

However, reading this topic now I see how much of a suffering it must have been for Joff. I can sympathize with him but never forgive his sadism. I wish he had died in singular combat against some Stark, without his dog to protect him, scared to that, aware that his kingness would not help him any more that Rhaegar's did when Robert's battle hammer got him.

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Not even an ounce of sympathy for Joffrey. I am ashamed to admit it, but I happily shouted when I got to that part of the wedding. As far as the story goes, I am beginning to find Jaime's character interesting, though I live by "forgiven but not forgotten", I loathe all Lannisters. Vile creatures.

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Tut tut. He's a boy. How do you know, if he had just been given tuition by someone *decent* how he could have turned out?

And yes, I do place some of the blame at Jaime's feet. As a member of the Kingsguard, he could have found some pretence to spend time with Joffrey as he grew up to teach him some of his own sense of honour.

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We are led to believe that joffery is a sociopath ie the whole killing cats thing and generally being a psycho with no sign of having a conscience. So to say that if we had only given him a few more years to mature he may have grown up seems very unlikely. Possibly not having the hound role model would help but you can't grow a conscience so he was doomed to be an a-hole.

I did feel bad for him as he died but only because he was 12 and choking to death is a horrible way to die.

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I still don't get the desire to watch a twelve y/o endure a more horrific death. Even the most 'toerag' of my pupils, I would cry if they ever physically suffered in my lesson. And this is a boy who clawed into the skin of his neck with pain.

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I still don't get the desire to watch a twelve y/o endure a more horrific death. Even the most 'toerag' of my pupils, I would cry if they ever physically suffered in my lesson. And this is a boy who clawed into the skin of his neck with pain.

You're a teacher?

What if a kid order the execution of the principal? Would you not wish for him a bad death then? WOULD YOU?